The View From the Beach

Dear Sirs,

I have been a fervored consumer of your publication for years and have always held it in the greatest esteem but I felt I needed to address several factual and perspective errors in a recent article that appeared in your publication.

Firstly you reference “tourist numbers have plummeted since the bombings’ – the reality is that the Bali tourism market, with very little assistance form the central government or outside sources, has recovered from the terrible atrocities inflicted by outsiders on this fantastic island. The number of arrivals is setting records – please see http://www.balidiscovery.com/messages/message.asp?Id=3717

Secondly, your portrayal of the Nyepi holiday in Bali makes it sounds like some sort of negative for the island. You refer to its traditions of quiet as a ‘ban’ and imply it would discourage visitors to the Island. The concept behind Nyepi is a day of passive contemplation. In my personal opinion it is one of the island’s most cherished traditions. Everyone stays at home with family or friends while tourists spend the day within the compound of their hotels. In terms of its appeal it’s a bit like a snow-day in Canada or having a typhoon party in Hong Kong.

It’s more special in Bali, as you know out of choice and respect and entire island of 3 million people choose to cease their normal daily activities an atmosphere of complete calm permeates the island (not some ‘ban’ governed by ‘guards’ as categorized in your article).

The celebration of Nyepi also acts as a barometer for the strength of the unique culture of Bali. In the days of Suharto, they forced the Balinese to keep the airport open and facilitated tours of empty streets, a veritable insult if you understand the religious underpinnings of the event. Now with some of the devolution of power from the central government to the provinces, the Balinese are ensuring their traditions are properly respected by outsiders and it’s a privilege to be on the island when it occurs.

In these days of global mono-culture and onslaught of ‘western values’ (which in and of itself is almost an oxymoron) it should not be criticized but celebrated (with a day of silence).

Another article on the same topic might be of use as a reference:

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/03/24/opinion/edhogue.php

Yours sincerely,

Ian Macaulay

Bali, Indonesia
www.elitehavens.com

This little ditty appeared recently in The Economist. I repeat it here as the set up for the next post…

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Speechless in Bali

Mar 22nd 2007

An ancient tradition resists the modern world
http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8903360

THE bustling beaches and noisy nightlife of the Indonesian
island of Bali fell silent on March 19th. The streets were
deserted and businesses—even the smallest beachside stalls—were
closed. Almost everyone kept indoors and lights stayed switched
off all evening. It was not another bomb scare. It was Nyepi,
the day of silence, rest and reflection that Bali’s majority
Hindu population observes to mark the new year.

Hinduism arrived on Bali perhaps 2,000 years ago. Its traditions
there differ from those in its homeland, India, where the spring
is marked with the colourful and raucous festival of Holi.
Bali’s day of silence is preceded by an evening of extreme
noise, as home-made bamboo cannons are fired to scare evil
spirits away from the island. Giant papier-mâché effigies called
ogoh-ogoh, representing these demons, are paraded through the
streets before being burned.

On the day itself, only local guards are allowed outdoors, to
ensure everyone else stays in—including foreign visitors.
Australia’s government warned its tourists to expect the ban to
be taken “very seriously”. So it was, even though Bali can ill
afford to discourage visitors. Tourist numbers have plummeted
since the bombings there by Islamist terrorists in 2002 and
2005. Some hotels put a positive spin on the curfew, inviting
guests to enjoy this respite from the constant din of modern
life.

Observance of Nyepi has become stricter in recent years. Until
about ten years ago, holidaymakers were given tours of the
deserted streets. Until 2000, the island’s airport remained open
during the holiday. The rest of Indonesia has a large Muslim
majority but, despite much talk of “creeping Islamisation”, also
still observes Nyepi as a public holiday. In 2005, when it fell
on a Friday, the Muslim day of prayer, Bali’s Muslims walked to
their mosques and the loudspeakers that normally call Bali’s
Muslims to prayer were switched off. However, as parliament
continues to debate a controversial “pornography bill”, it is
unclear if the kissing ritual, observed enthusiastically by
young Balinese on the day after Nyepi, will remain safe from the
country’s new puritans.

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So, did The Economist get it right?? Well, as the next post shows, there are a couple of issues…